Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Planted Tank Forum forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Topic Review (Newest First)

11-18-2012 02:24 AM

Gold Finger

Yup. More light for less time discourages algae with no ill effect on plants even below 8 hours. However, if you have WAY too much light as you say you can cut intensity (say by blocking some % of the light with tape or window screen) and then you can extend to 12hours. Too much light is an easy fix. Too little light plus too long a photoperiod as an attempted fix just grows algae.

11-18-2012 01:54 AM

Darkblade48

You can get away with 8 hours with high intensity lighting.

Conversely, having lower intensity lighting but for longer durations will do nothing but encourage algae.

11-17-2012 05:46 PM

monty67

Sorry, I should have been more clear,

right now i have running more intensity with less duration, I want to lower the intensity so can run the lights for 12 hours at a time.

is it all a wash or do the plants really need that 12 hours as opposed to a shorter time with more intense lighting?

I will be lowering the amount of light so i can run them for 12 hours. But for now am i hurting the plants by cutting down the duration?

I am confused; you are going to lower the light intensity and increase duration, but then you say that you will be decreasing the duration?

11-17-2012 02:26 AM

monty67

Light intensity and duration effect on plants

Ok, so if you have way too much light and you cut the amount of time the plants get the light do you negatively affect their growing because the duration is lessened?

For now I am running my only lamp, twin TO5 on my twenty raised about 6 inches from the water. I'm only going about 7 or 8 hours otherwise I think i would be in algae hell. I will be lowering the amount of light so i can run them for 12 hours. But for now am i hurting the plants by cutting down the duration?